Often a single phrase or sentence can capture the essence of something. Think of the movies: “There’s no place like home.” “Play it again, Sam” (which was never said, interestingly.) “I’ll be back” (said with a heavy Austrian accent.) “It was beauty killed the beast.” “You’re going to need a bigger boat.” “I am your father.” “If you build it, he will come.” And my personal favorite: “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.” In reading the scripture readings for this Sunday, from Jeremiah, St. Paul and Matthew’s gospel, one particular phrase stood out to me: “How much more.” Those words capture in a nutshell the message of the Bible. You think you know something, or can do something or can accomplish something on your own? With God, how much more you will know, do, and accomplish.
Those sparrows are really cute, that puppy is very cuddly, that kitten is so adorable. How much more precious is a human being, any human being, even the worst human being, because they bear a family resemblance to Jesus. Isn’t it great to have a respectable job with a nice paycheck and annual vacation. How much more important is it to have not a job but a vocation, a sense that what I am doing is using my gifts and talents and making a contribution to the world. Everyone likes to have a nice house, some money in the bank and a secure future. How much more valuable is it to have a meaning in life, to have a sense that I am doing something worthwhile, doing good. Everyone wants a partner in life, someone to come home to. How much more vital is having someone to love for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health until death us do part. Frequently when people ask, How ya doin’? we answer, Doin’ ok. And it’s true. We’re doing pretty good. But the gospel challenge, how much more are we capable of if we don’t settle for being good but opt for being better.
Jesus suggests in the gospel of Matthew that one thing that keeps us from choosing “how much more” is fear. “Be not afraid.” Thou shalt not fear is one of the commandments of Jesus. This was not just his advice. FDR said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” In the book, and movie, Dune, the hero has a mantra, “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.” Marie Curie wrote: “Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” If politicians and writers and scientists join with Jesus to say fear is useless, why are we still so afraid?
12-step programs suggestion a help to overcome our fears. If you think about it, most of our fears are about things that might happen. I’m afraid about what people might say about me. I’m afraid that I might be rejected. I’m afraid that I might end up eating cat food. Those fears inhibit us, close us in, cramp our style. So, the wisdom of 12-step spirituality is to think of fear as an acronym: “Future Events Appear Real.” And because future events appear real, they cause us to be afraid. But they are not real. All those things we worry about, we’re afraid of, don’t exist. Might they happen? Sure. But to be afraid of what might happen some day in the future is to give something unreal power over us. It’s actually kind of nuts. Jesus commands us not to be afraid because what is real is that God is with us today and will be with us tomorrow. With God on our side, what is there to fear? As Jeremiah put it, “The Lord is with me like a mighty champion.”
In thinking about “how much more” I came across some research that was conducted just as the pandemic was ending among American eighth, 10th, and 12th graders. The timing might have skewed the results but the report was chilling. 44% of that cohort reported feeling that “my life is not useful.” Another 48.9 percent say, “I do not enjoy life” and 49.5 percent, almost half, say “I can’t do anything right.” Doubtless some of this is teenage angst but the numbers offer a terrifying glimpse into the hopelessness with which the younger generation approach life. I don’t think that it is a coincidence that this is the same generation that is most disconnected from God, faith, religion, Jesus. Without a spiritual foundation it is difficult to see the meaning and purpose of human life.
All of which says to me that one way we, as a church, are called to be missionary disciples is by demonstrating what choosing “how much more” looks like. We need to show how much more we are loved by God just in being ourselves. We don’t listen to the trolls, we don’t watch the polls, we’re not defined by our roles, instead we listen to the voice of God saying to us, “You are my beloved child. I am well pleased with you.” Having that sense that we are the children of God makes it possible for us to move with confidence into a hostile world since everyone is a brother or sister. If God is for us, who can be against?
We show how much more alive we are by seeking first the kingdom of God, how much more we receive when we give. Many volunteers come through the food pantry each week. Cathy and Will lead them through a reflection on their experience of service. Almost universally the volunteers report that they thought they came to give something but instead they received so much more. That is the pattern. If we give much, we get how much more in return. More love. More grace. More peace. More happiness. How much more is God’s gift.
